E-learning and LMS blog articles

When starting a new role, most UK employees will already have a basic awareness of data protection. But fostering a true culture of compliance in the workplace requires more than general awareness. It’s the employer’s responsibility to ensure that staff fully understand their data protection obligations under GDPR. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is through targeted, role-appropriate GDPR training delivered via a compliant e-learning platform. A well-configured LMS can support this by helping organisations manage consent, handle data access requests, maintain secure processing practices, and stay aligned with evolving GDPR requirements. Keep reading to discover how to deliver impactful GDPR training that’s both engaging and compliant.

TL;DR – Top tips for effective GDPR training using e-learning

• Set clear objectives: Define specific, measurable goals to keep GDPR training meaningful and motivate employees beyond ticking a box.

• Boost engagement: Use role-specific examples, microlessons, gamification, and interactive content to make complex GDPR material accessible and engaging.

• Monitor learning outcomes: Use LMS assessments and automated reports to ensure knowledge retention and identify who may need refresher training.

• Automate compliance tracking: Leverage LMS features to send automated reminders for course completion and training renewals, reducing admin workload.

• Leverage LMS GDPR tools: Use LMS functions like policy updates, mandatory acknowledgements, safeguarding rules, and automated data purging to maintain compliance.

• Partner with experts: Choose an LMS provider like Hubken with award-winning solutions designed to simplify and enhance GDPR training and compliance management.

What is GDPR training for employees?

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a law that regulates data protection and privacy. Enforced in 2018, GDPR governs how organisations collect, store and protect personal data.

GDPR training aims to educate employees about the regulation and ensure they understand their roles and responsibilities in handling personal data, in compliance with these data protection laws.

Why GDPR awareness matters in modern workplaces

• Helps ensure that a company is compliant
• Reduces chances of regulatory fines and penalties
• Mitigates the risk of data breaches
• Keeps employees, customers and stakeholders safe from data breaches
• Increases customer trust and loyalty

Essential topics to cover in GDPR training modules

• Outlining the laws and key principles of data protection
• Educating employees on phishing attacks
• Outlining the responsibilities of those handling personal data
• Outlining the procedure for dealing with a suspected data breach

Top tips for engaging and effective GDPR e‑learning

Now we’ve covered the basics, let’s run through our top tips for creating effective GDPR training for employees using e-learning platforms such as our award-winning compliance training LMS.

Set clear GDPR training objectives

With any training programme, you must clearly outline the objectives, and this is the case for GDPR training for employees. What is the purpose of this training? What should employees expect to get out of it? Why is it essential? Full transparency on GDPR training objectives will prevent this from simply becoming a tick-box exercise. And, with a better understanding of the value of this training, employees will be more motivated to complete it.

For full transparency of objectives, you can use the goal-setting functionality in your e-learning platform to identify measurable goals that employees can work towards. These goals can be built into wider learning plans and PDPs, aligning with other mandatory compliance training objectives.

Tackle low engagement levels

One of the biggest challenges companies face when delivering GDPR training is a lack of learner engagement. Data protection laws don’t necessarily make for a thrilling afternoon read. GDPR training content can often feel dry, especially when it feels irrelevant and generic.

To tackle this, try using real-world and specific examples and avoid the one-size-fits-all approach to training. By tailoring e-learning content to a specific department or job role, information is presented in a relatable context that employees will understand and regularly encounter in their daily roles. As a result, employees can better appreciate what these regulations will look like when put into practice.

Complex, regulatory content can be overwhelming for employees with no legal background. Not only does this result in low engagement levels, but also poor knowledge acquisition. So how do we transform ‘dull’ GDPR training into something exciting and engaging?

With an LMS, you can take advantage of microlessons, gamification, and interactive content to diversify training materials and inject some levity and fun. Break down long pieces of regulatory materials into bite-sized content that employees can easily digest and come back to for further clarification.

Monitor compliance with assessments and reports 

When delivering GDPR training, it’s vital that employees don’t just ‘tick the box’ by completing a course but actually acquire and retain the knowledge that has been relayed to them throughout training. This ensures they are equipped with the essential skills and knowledge required to adhere to GDPR in practice.

The best way to assess whether training has achieved the desired impact is to test employee knowledge with LMS assessments. LMS admins can use automated reports to immediately identify those with poor assessment results and take relevant action.

Assessments are also a great tool to determine whether employees need to complete a refresher course, several months after the initial completion of training. This process reduces the risk of GDPR-related mistakes caused by knowledge gaps that naturally form over time.

Easily stay on track

As with any form of compliance training, content needs to be regularly updated and training must be completed within regulatory deadlines. For L&D teams, this produces a great deal of admin work. However, using an LMS can dramatically decrease the time spent on manual admin – music to the ears of L&D professionals!

With automation functionality in an LMS, learners will be issued automated completion reminders for GDPR training courses, along with notifications of upcoming training expirations. With this functionality, admins can easily stay on track with regulatory deadlines without having to rely on manual processes.

Leverage your LMS to streamline GDPR compliance

An LMS isn’t just a great solution for supporting GDPR training for employees, an LMS such as our Totara Learn system also offers tools and features for supporting GDPR management.

For instance, Totara can be used to update site-wide policies and automatically let users know, making it mandatory for them to acknowledge they've read/understood the changes. Admins can easily set up safeguarding rules so that users can't accidentally export personal sensitive data. And, Administrators can create and manage multiple data removal or purges - which can also be automated, meaning removing data from the system is much easier.

Why Hubken’s LMS makes GDPR training smarter and easier

With Hubken’s award-winning Totara LMS, you get all the tools needed, not only to deliver compliance training, but to ensure GDPR readiness. From automated enrolments and policy acknowledgements to safeguarding sensitive data and clear reporting, we’ve helped clients like Arriva achieve exceptional compliance training, winning Totara’s 2023 Best Compliance Training Experience Award. Learn more by speaking to our team today.